續傳燈錄 2
English (machine translation) 2
- Language
- English
2.1
Continued Record of the Transmission of the Lamp, Table of Contents for Fascicle Two
2.2
Tenth Generation under Dajian
Thirty Dharma heirs of Chan Master Zhimeng Zuo:
Chan Master Xuedou Chongxian
Chan Master Yanqing Zirong
Chan Master Baizhang Zhiying
Chan Master Nanhua Baoyuan
Chan Master Huguo Shou
Chan Master Jiufeng Qin
Chan Master Yungai Jipeng
Chan Master Huanglong Hai
Chan Master Zhangfa Chengsi
Chan Master Yuntai Shengyin
Chan Master Qingshan Hao
Chan Master Ciyun Shaoshen (the above twelve persons are recorded)
Chan Master Furong Wenxi
Chan Master Qingxi Shengzhao
Chan Master Deshan Sengke
Chan Master Cuifeng Juexian
Chan Master Baizhang Yue
Chan Master Cuiyan Fengluan
Chan Master Guizong Shengyi
Chan Master Guanghui Qingshun
Chan Master Tiantong Baojian
Chan Master Baizhang Zhiyun
Chan Master Guangjiao Yisong
Chan Master Qiyang Kouxuan
Chan Master Lingquan Xiao
Chan Master Changsong Xi
Chan Master Yaoshan Xuan
Chan Master Guangfu Yungong
Chan Master Taiping Qing
Chan Master Dalong Dexuan
One Dharma heir of Chan Master Wenshu Zhen:
Chan Master Dongshan Xiaocong (recorded)
Two Dharma heirs of Chan Master Nantai Qin:
Chan Master Gaoyang Faguang
Chan Master Shishuang Jiecheng (both recorded)
One Dharma heir of Chan Master Heishui Jing:
Chan Master Heishui Yiqin (recorded)
Forty Dharma heirs of Chan Master Wuzu Jie:
Chan Master Dongshan Zibao
Chan Master Letan Huacheng
Chan Master Beita Siguang
Chan Master Yungai Zhiyong
Chan Master Cuifeng Huiyong
Chan Master Sizu Duan
Chan Master Wuzu Xiu
Chan Master Tiantong Huaiqing
Chan Master Baima Bian
Chan Master Shuinan Zhiyu
Chan Master Haihui Tong
Chan Master Yitai Zixiang
Chan Master Shiwang Huaichu
Chan Master Dinghui Daohai
Chan Master Yandang Wenji
Chan Master Dongshan Miaoyuan
Chan Master Baoyan Shuzhi (the above seventeen persons are recorded)
Chan Master Xichan Wenxiu
Chan Master Shunfeng Mengzheng
Chan Master Haihui Xiantong
Chan Master Gongchen Ciying Yuan
Chan Master Ruiyan Gui
Chan Master Sanjiao You
Chan Master Daming Ming
Chan Master Wuzu Fang
Chan Master Dayu Da
Chan Master Zhonggong Deng
Chan Master Jingde Jian
Chan Master Sheli Gai
Chan Master Yunju Qing
Chan Master Yong'an Yuan
Chan Master Shiwang Qing
Chan Master Yongxi Dexing
Chan Master Liuhe Xiuji
Chan Master Deshan Wencan
Chan Master Longya Qian
Chan Master Liangshan Liaoqi
Upādhyāya Bao'en of Suizhou
Upādhyāya Longmen of Shuzhou
Chan Master Ruiyan Yuan (the above twenty-three persons have no record)
Eleven Dharma heirs of Chan Master Fuchang Shan:
Chan Master Shangfang Qiyue
Chan Master Yuwang Changtan
Chan Master Jinshan Ruixin
Chan Master Fuchang Xun (the above four persons are recorded)
Chan Master Jiashan Weijun
Chan Master Deshan Wenjie
Chan Master Lingfeng Xianying
Chan Master Gong'an Zhizhu
Chan Master Siming Yun
Chan Master Yuanfeng Zheng
Upādhyāya Kaisheng Daoru (the above seven persons have no record)
Three Dharma heirs of Chan Master Qianming Xin:
Chan Master Yaoshan Yisu
Chan Master Xichan Chuibai (the above two persons are recorded)
Chan Master Baotang Wuyue (no record)
Four Dharma heirs of Chan Master Fuyan Ya:
Chan Master Beichan Zhixian
Chan Master Hengyue Zhen (the above two persons have records)
Chan Master Hengshan Liaoshi
Academician Li Chen of Guobao (the above two persons have no record)
Three Dharma heirs of Chan Master Kaifu Xian:
Senior Monk Rifang (recorded)
Chan Master Dayang Wenyu
Chan Master Shuangxi Sheng (the above two persons have no record)
One Dharma heir of Chan Master Baoci Song:
Chan Master Xingyang Xun (recorded)
Eight Dharma heirs of Chan Master Deshan Yuan:
Chan Master Kaixian Shanxian
Chan Master Heshan Chucai
Chan Master Zisheng Shengqin
Chan Master Luyuan Gui
Chan Master Dazhong Renbian
Chan Master Puti Guifang (the above six persons are recorded)
Chan Master Qinshan Wuqin
Chan Master Wangshishan Pu (the above two persons have no record)
One Dharma heir of Chan Master Xifeng Huo:
Venerable Ziyan of Nan'an Rock (recorded)
Two Dharma heirs of Chan Master Guangjiao Zhi:
Chan Master Simianshan Huaiqing (recorded)
Chan Master Xinghua Youqing (no record)
One Dharma heir of Chan Master Yunding Fu:
General Leying (a person of Shu; no record)
Seven Dharma heirs of Chan Master Shimen Shaoyuan:
Chan Master Qingju Haosheng
Chan Master Guangji Fang
Chan Master Yunding Jian
Chan Master Daowu Qiquan (the above four persons are recorded)
Chan Master Shanlai of Lizhou
Chan Master Huiyuan of Xiangzhou
Chan Master Chongbao of Suizhou (the above three persons have no record)
Five Dharma heirs of Chan Master Liangshan Guan:
Mountain Master Luowen Dezhen
Chan Master Yaoshan Liyu
Chan Master Liangshan Yan (the above three persons are recorded)
Chan Master Yunyan Qingtiao
Upādhyāya Dage (the above two persons have no record)
One Dharma heir of Chan Master Deshan Yan:
Chan Master Deshan Zhixian (recorded)
One Dharma heir of Chan Master Beichan Gan:
Chan Master Nanchan Cong (recorded)
Five Dharma heirs of Chan Master Guyin Yan:
Chan Master Guyin Qichong (recorded)
Chan Master Guyin Fahui
Chan Master Kaijie Chongmin
Chan Master Jiuling Huaijian
Upādhyāya Huailing of Qizhou (the above four persons have no record)
Two Dharma heirs of Chan Master Pujing Jue:
Upāsaka Zhang Sheng
Upāsaka Supervising Secretary Tao Gu (both have no record)
One Dharma heir of Senior Monk Lingcheng:
Head Monk Jiashan Zhen (no record)
Two Dharma heirs of Chan Master Guangji Tong:
Chan Master Nanhua Zhidu
Chan Master Jiuhua Qin (the above two persons have no record)
One Dharma heir of Chan Master Qianming Mu:
Chan Master Yinsheng Deng (no record)
Eleven Dharma heirs of Chan Master Chengtian Zhao:
Chan Master Lingquan Haosheng
Chan Master Yaoshan Yonghe
Chan Master Jiashan Shengzong
Chan Master Lingquan Yongchun
Chan Master Jiashan Renxiu
Chan Master Huanglong Siqing
Chan Master Jiayu Fazhen
Chan Master Kaifu Baoxian
Chan Master Xingjiao Juyou
Chan Master Chongsheng Zhigui
Chan Master Zhangfa Woxian (all of the above have no record)
2.3
Tenth Generation under Dajian
2.4
Dharma Heirs of Chan Master Zhimeng Zuo
2.5
Chan Master Chongxian of Xuedou in Mingzhou was a son of the Li family of Suining Prefecture. He left home under the Worthy Renzhen at the Pu'an Monastery. After receiving full ordination, he traversed the lecture platforms, investigating the principles and exhausting the abstruse. His interrogations surged like spearheads; his active eloquence was unmatched. All knew him to be a vessel of the Dharma. Desiring to travel south, he first went to Zhimon. He immediately asked, "When not a single thought arises, how can there be a fault?" Zhimon summoned the Master to come closer. As soon as the Master stepped forward, Zhimon struck him right across the mouth with his whisk. The Master was about to open his mouth, and Zhimon struck him again. The Master was thoroughly awakened. He went forth to dwell at Cuifeng and later moved to Xuedou. On the day of opening the hall, before the Dharma seat, he looked around at the assembly and said, "If we speak of meeting from one's fundamental part, there is no need to ascend high onto the Dharma seat." Thereupon, drawing a line with his hand, he said, "Everyone, look following this mountain monk's hand: immeasurable Buddha lands appear simultaneously before you. Let each examine closely. If anyone does not yet know the boundaries, he will not avoid dragging through mud and carrying water." Then he ascended the seat. After the head monk finished striking the mallet, a monk was just coming forth. The Master checked him and said, "The Tathāgata's treasury of the eye of the correct Dharma is entrusted here today. Letting go, tiles and pebbles radiate light; holding back, real gold loses its luster. The authority is in my hands; killing or giving life is determined on the spot. If there are adept ones, let us bear witness together." The monk came forward and asked, "Having departed from the ancestral seat of Cuifeng, you have now arrived at the bodhimaṇḍa of Xuedou. I wonder: is this one or two?" The Master said, "A horse without thousand-league endurance vainly chases the wind." [The monk] said, "If so, then the clouds disperse and the moon shines on every house." The Master said, "A fellow with a dragon's head and a snake's tail." [A monk] asked, "Deshan's blow and Linji's shout are already renowned. How does the upādhyāya guide people?" The Master said, "I let a move pass by." The monk hesitated in thought. The Master then shouted. The monk said, "I wonder if there is anything else?" The Master said, "Shooting at a tiger carelessly, one wastes the effort of burying the arrow's feathers." [A monk] asked, "The great Dharma conch is blown; the great Dharma drum is beaten. When the court ministers attend the feast, what is right?" The Master said, "The cool breeze arrives without ceasing." [The monk] said, "If so, then I have met the master." The Master said, "Once a word has gone out, a team of four horses cannot overtake it." The monk bowed. The Master said, "I let a move pass by." Then, looking comprehensively at the great assembly, he said, "Humans and devas gather universally. What matter is to be illuminated? How can we merely divide host and guest and gallop in questions and answers, taking that to be the ancestral vehicle? The broad gate style is dignified and free, shining through past and present, taking hold of heaven and earth. The thousand sages only say that self-knowledge cannot be established by the five vehicles. Therefore, awakening to the tenet before sound, one is still deluded about the point of taking heed; understanding the lineage under words, one is still blind to what lies beyond cognition and feelings. Do you all want to know the true reality? Simply have nothing to look up to above and cut off your own body below; naturally, eternal light will manifest before you, each standing like a precipice of a thousand fathoms. Can you discern and clarify it or not? If you have not discerned it, discern it; if you have not clarified it, clarify it. Having discerned and clarified it, you can cut off the flow of birth and death and together occupy the position of buddhas and patriarchs. Wondrous, perfect, transcendent awakening is right at this moment, able to repay the unpayable kindness so as to assist in unconditioned transformation." [A monk] asked, "What is the great meaning of the Buddha Dharma?" The Master said, "Auspicious clouds in five colors." [The monk] said, "I do not understand." The Master said, "Vast above your head." [A monk] asked, "How was it before Bodhidharma came?" The Master said, "Apes cry in the ancient trees." [The monk] said, "How about after he came?" The Master said, "Cranes screech in the blue sky." [The monk] said, "What about the present matter?" The Master said, "One does not make two, nor is it [the other]." [A monk] asked, "How was it before the upādhyāya met Zhimon?" The Master said, "Your nostrils are in my hands." [The monk] said, "How about after meeting him?" The Master said, "Pierced right through your skull." A monk came out, bowed, stood up, and said, "I ask the master to answer my words." The Master struck him with the stick. The monk said, "Is there no expedient means?" The Master said, "A crime is not punished twice." Another monk came out, bowed, stood up, and said, "I ask the master to answer my words." The Master said, "A double gong'an." [The monk] said, "I ask the master not to answer my words." The Master also struck him. [A monk] asked, "An ancient said, 'Hiding one's body within the Northern Dipper'—what does this mean?" The Master said, "Hearing a thousand times is not as good as seeing once." [The monk] said, "This phrase is very popular." The Master said, "An old rat biting iron." [A monk] asked, "An ancient said, 'Brightly clear, without a single thread.' What about the mountains, rivers, and the great earth?" The Master said, "A red face is not as good as straight speech." [The monk] said, "I do not understand." The Master said, "Ask around everywhere." [A monk] asked, "What is the student's self?" The Master said, "Riding a raft and cutting the forehead." [The monk] said, "Could it just be this?" The Master said, "Dying in vain and living for nothing." [A monk] asked, "What is the meaning of arising from conditions?" The Master said, "A vajra casts an iron certificate." [The monk] said, "I do not understand." The Master said, "A signboard in a bustling market." [The monk] said, "If so, then: 'Walking to where the water ends, / Sitting to watch the clouds rise.'" The Master said, "Step down." [A monk] asked, "Please speak about what forty-nine years could not exhaustively explain." The Master said, "Contention is not enough." [The monk] said, "Thank you, Master, for answering my words." The Master said, "Look at the iron stick yourself." [A monk] asked, "What is the eye that takes hold of heaven and earth?" The Master said, "Tear away the nostrils." [The monk] said, "I do not understand." The Master said, "One joy, one sorrow." The monk hesitated in thought. The Master said, "Suffering!" [A monk] asked, "What is taking off the precious robe and putting on ragged, dirty clothes?" The Master said, "Extending the hand, not extending the hand." [The monk] said, "I beg the master for an expedient means." The Master said, "Pick the sinew from the left eye; gouge the flesh from the right eye." [A monk] asked, "Competing to advance at the Dragon Gate—which one passes the examination?" The Master said, "Having one's forehead spotted again." [The monk] said, "I do not understand." The Master said, "Hiding the scales when the water recedes." [A monk] asked, "Quietly forgetting words—who is the one who attains it?" The Master said, "Taking off the hat and piercing through the clouds." [The monk] said, "How to understand this?" The Master said, "Wearing a straw raincoat and returning in the rain." [The monk] said, "Twenty years from now, these words will be very popular." The Master said, "A bout of tart bitterness." [A monk] asked, "Do you still receive a person who sits through and cuts off Vairocana?" The Master said, "Attentively seeing them off on the banks of the Xiao and Xiang." [The monk] said, "If so, then the student is at fault." The Master said, "Heaven is broad, earth is narrow—it brings too much sorrow." The monk bowed. The Master said, "A statement of grievance is truly hard to utter." [A monk] asked, "When birth and death arrive, how can one avoid them?" The Master said, "Upon the fixed flower board." [The monk] said, "Could that be the place where one settles one's life and purpose?" The Master said, "Execute it when the tally arrives." Ascending the hall, a monk asked, "What is the hair-blowing sword?" The Master said, "Suffering!" [The monk] said, "Do you still allow the student to use it?" The Master sighed, "Whew!" and then said, "To sing and respond together before the great assembly, you must be such a fellow. If you do not yet have the eye that passes through the blade amid rushing currents, do not bother to bring it out. Therefore it is said: like a great mass of fire—approach it, and your face will be scorched; also like holding the precious sword Tai'e—charge forward, and you will lose your body and life." Then he said: / "Tai'e held crosswise makes the ancestral hall cold; / For a thousand leagues, ten thousand troubles must cease. / Do not wait for the cold gleam to lightly flicker—" / Again he said, "Look, look!" and stepped down from the seat. Ascending the hall, a monk asked, "What is Vimalakīrti's single silence?" The Master said, "Visiting Shide at Mount Tiantai." [The monk] said, "If so, one enters the gate of nonduality." The Master sighed, "Whew!" and further said: / "Whence came the Great Being Vimalakīrti? / For endless ages, he makes people gaze without end. / Cease asking further of the nondual Dharma gate: / Last night the bright moon rose over the solitary peak." / Ascending the hall: / "Spring mountains in overlapping disordered greens; / Spring waters rippling in empty emerald. / Solitary between heaven and earth, / Standing alone, my gaze stretches without end." / He then stepped down from the seat. Turning around, he asked the attendant, "Just now was there anyone looking into the abbot's quarters?" The attendant said, "There was." The Master said, "The thief's heart is hollow." Ascending the hall: "In the ten directions there are no walls, and on the four sides there are no doors. Where did the ancients meet guests? If you can utter a phrase that receives hands, I allow you to be supreme in heaven and on earth." Ascending the hall: "Where the ground is steady and secret, buddhas and patriarchs dare not approach. Why can you not raise your feet? Where spiritual penetrations are at play, ghosts and spirits cannot fathom. Why can you not set down your feet? Even if you go crisscross in all directions, in the morning receive three thousand blows and in the evening eight hundred." Ascending the hall: "Great assembly! This piece of ground was handed over long ago. You people still do not recognize its four boundaries. If you want the tree in the center, I will not begrudge it." [A monk] asked, "What is the fundamental source of all buddhas?" The Master said, "The cold colors of a thousand peaks." [The monk] said, "Beyond what is fundamentally entrusted, is there anything more?" The Master said, "Rain dripping on the cliff flowers." Ascending the hall, a monk asked, "How is it when snow covers the reed flowers?" The Master said, "A speck." [The monk] said, "If so, it becomes auspicious and felicitous." The Master said, "A double gong'an." Then he said: / "Snow covers the reed flowers as dusk approaches; / The Xie family fisherman is not in his boat. / The white ox let loose has nowhere to be found; / In vain the mountain boy is presented with an iron whip." / One day the Master walked in the mountains, gazing around in all directions. He said to the attendant, "On what day will I come here again?" The attendant mournfully pleaded for a death verse. The Master said, "All my life, my only worry has been having too many words." The next day, he brought out his staff, sandals, robes, and bowls, distributing them among the disciples, and said, "On the seventh day of the seventh month, we shall meet again." When the time came, he bathed, gathered his robes, and passed away facing north. His whole body was stupaed in the western cove of the monastery. He was posthumously granted the title Great Master Mingjue. Chan Master Zirong of Mount Yanqing in Xiangzhou. A monk asked, "What is the jewel that conforms to colors?" The Master said, "Three children playing with a flower ball." [The monk] said, "If so, then it is all day long." The Master said, "The head turns white and the teeth fall out." Ascending the hall, a monk asked, "The spiritual light is faint; the moon shines on the cold window. In front of the Hall of Good Dharma, I ask the master to raise and chant." The Master said, "Listen." [The monk] said, "This is still the matter on this side. What about the matter on that side?" The Master said, "Hair grows under the feet." [A monk] asked, "What is the Buddha?" The Master said, "Extending the body, he manifested the ten epithets; entering the coffin, he displayed his twin soles." [The monk] said, "With what shall we make offerings?" The Master said, "Palms joined before the chest." [A monk] asked, "What is the meaning of the Patriarch's coming from the West?" The Master said, "The ear-pierced barbarian monk does not wear shoes."
2.6
Chan Master Zhiying Baoyue of Baizhang in Hongzhou. A monk asked, "Whose song does the master sing? Whose ancestral style do you inherit?" The Master said, "A stūpa held aloft on Nata's palm." [The monk] said, "If so, you are a true son of Beita and a descendant of Shaoshi." The Master said, "Cutting the forehead and gazing toward Silla."
2.7
Chan Master Baoyuan Ciji of Nanhua in Shaozhou. A monk asked, "What is the meaning of the Patriarch's coming from the West?" The Master said, "Green mountains and green waters." [The monk] said, "Before he came, was there still meaning?" The Master said, "The high is high; the low is low."
2.8
Chan Master Shou of Huguo Monastery in Huangzhou. A monk asked, "What is the single path to the gate of nirvāṇa?" The Master said, "The cold pine's green has the color of a thousand years; / A single path's breeze flutters the fragrance of all four seasons." [A monk] asked, "What was the assembly on Gṛdhrakūṭa?" The Master said, "The Tathāgata merely gave a single glance, and Kāśyapa bowed his head."
2.9
Chan Master Qin of Jiufeng in Ruizhou. A monk asked, "Within the gate of expedient means, I ask the master to give instruction." The Master said, "The Buddha does not deprive sentient beings of their vows." [The monk] said, "If so, then thank you, Master, for the expedient means." The Master said, "You must still take a blow of the stick." Ascending the hall, he said, "The spread tongues seethe with a thousand calls and ten thousand summonses. Why does the exposed pillar not turn its head?" After a long silence, he said, "Delicious food is not fit for a sated person to eat." Then he stepped down from the seat.
2.10
Chan Master Jipeng of Yunggai in Tānzhou. Initially he visited Chan Master Ya of Shuangquan. Shuangquan had him serve as attendant and showed him the gong'an of Bajiao's staff. After a long time, he had no awakening. One day, while Shuangquan was warming himself by the fire, the Master was standing in attendance. Shuangquan suddenly asked, "Try to raise the case of the staff; let me discuss it with you." The Master was about to raise it when Shuangquan picked up the fire tongs and struck him. The Master attained great awakening. After dwelling [as abbot], a monk asked, "What is the great meaning of the Buddha Dharma?" The Master said, "The tongue has no bone." [A monk] asked, "What is the meaning of the Patriarch's coming from the West?" The Master said, "The hot water jug simmers in the fire." [A monk] asked, "How was it before the Buddha appeared in the world?" The Master said, "Heaven." [The monk] said, "How about after he appeared in the world?" The Master said, "Earth." Ascending the hall: "Height does not consist in the utmost summit; wealth does not consist in Fuyan; pleasure does not consist in heaven; suffering does not consist in hell." After a long silence, he said, "Acquaintances fill the world; how many truly know one's heart?"
2.11
Chan Master Hai of Huanglong in Ezhou. A monk asked, "What is the house style of Huanglong?" The Master said, "Look." The monk said, "If a guest suddenly arrives, how do you receive him?" The Master tapped him with his staff. The monk asked, "What is the very first phrase?" The Master said, "Digging the earth to seek heaven."
2.12
Chan Master Chengcisi of Zhangfa in Dingzhou. A monk asked, "What is the great meaning of the Buddhadharma?" The Master said, "How many people have groped for it without finding it?" The monk said, "If one suddenly gropes and finds it, then what?" The Master said, "What could it be good for?"
2.13
Chan Master Yin of Yuntai in Quanzhou. A monk asked, "What is the Upādhyāya's house style?" The Master said, "An angry fist does not strike a smiling face." The monk asked, "How is it displayed?" The Master said, "Tiantai has it; Nanyue lacks it." The monk asked, "What is the Buddha?" The Master said, "The moon does not exceed the fifteenth." The monk said, "What is the meaning?" The Master said, "The third, the tenth, the eleventh." The monk asked, "What is the great meaning of the Buddhadharma?" The Master said, "Today is good for sunning wheat." The monk said, "What is the meaning?" The Master said, "Ask the miller." Ascending the hall, [the Master said,] "Bodhisattvas are not inside, not outside, and not in between. Now tell me, where do they reside?" After a long silence, he said, "Jambudvīpa in the south, Uttarakuru in the north."
2.14
Chan Master Qingshan Hao of Fuzhou. A monk asked, "Whose song does the Master sing? Whose lineage style do you inherit?" The Master said, "Of old on Gṛdhrakūṭa the prediction was personally conferred; today on the Wen River the command is just put into practice." The monk said, "If so, then thunder rolls in Yunmen Cave, and rain sprinkles upon the walls of Jingling." The Master said, "The nine halls and eight trigrams."
2.15
Chan Master Shaoshen of Mount Ciyun in Fuzhou. A monk asked, "What is the Buddha?" The Master said, "Sweat comes out on the forehead." The monk asked, "What is Mount Ciyun?" The Master said, "In vain one looks upward with raised face." The monk asked, "What is the water of Ciyun?" The Master said, "Rushing!"
Dharma heir of Chan Master Wenshu Zhen.
2.16
Chan Master Dongshan Xiaocong of Ruizhou was a native of the Du clan in Shaozhou. While on his itinerant pilgrimage, he served as the lamp attendant at Yunju. Seeing a monk say that the Great Sage of Sizhou had recently appeared in Yangzhou, someone raised the question, "Since he is the Great Sage of Sizhou, why does he appear in Yangzhou instead?" The Master said, "A gentleman loves wealth and acquires it by proper means." Later a monk recounted this to Hermit Xiang of Lianhuafeng. Xiang was greatly astonished and said, "A descendant of Yunmen still lives!" In the middle of the night he faced Yunju and bowed to him. After becoming abbot, a monk asked, "When Bodhidharma had not yet transmitted the mind-ground seal, and Śākyamuni had not yet untied the crest jewel—if at that time one asked about the meaning of the Patriarch's coming from the West, was there still a meaning of coming from the West or not?" The Master said, "The sixth month's rain pours down, easing the hearts of myriad commoners." The monk said, "If so, then the clouds disperse and every household has the moon; spring arrives and everywhere there are flowers." The Master said, "From beneath your heels to the edge of the adamantine water, how far is it?" The monk was speechless. The Master said, "The Patriarch came from the West specifically to proclaim this matter. It is simply that you, Elder, do not recognize it. Therefore, that which enters through the gate is not the family treasure. Mistaking the shadow and losing the head—is that not a great error? Since the Patriarch came from the West specifically to proclaim this matter, what need is there to babble on further before the assembly? Take care!" A monk asked, "Where should a rootless tree be planted?" The Master said, "A thousand-year permanent monastic estate; a single morning's monk." The monk asked, "What is the phrase that departs from sound and form?" The Master said, "Jambudvīpa in the south, Uttarakuru in the north." The monk said, "If so, then this student is not blind to the kindness [received]." The Master said, "How deep are the four great seas?" The monk asked, "How was it before the ancient mirror was polished?" The Master said, "Not far from here to Hanyang." The monk said, "How is it after it is polished?" The Master said, "Yingwu Island before the Yellow Crane Tower." The monk asked, "What is the Buddha?" The Master said, "When principle is superior, follow it." Ascending the hall, [the Master said,] "What can this mountain monk say that will do? The ancient is the present; the present is the ancient. Therefore the Śūraṅgama Sūtra states: 'Pines are straight, brambles are curved, swans are white, crows are black.' Do you understand this? Although it is like this, it is not necessarily so that pines are invariably straight, brambles are invariably curved, swans are always white, or crows are always black. Dongshan says: here there are also curved pines, straight brambles, black swans, and white crows. You have been standing long." Ascending the hall, a monk asked, "When a student can neither advance nor retreat, how is it?" The Master said, "Hold your head and weep to the azure sky." The monk was speechless. The Master said, "Do you know where the alms-bowl and the ladle land? If you know where they land, I will let you ask. Even after thirty years, to suddenly hit upon it is not certain either." Ascending the hall, he cited: "Hanshan says: 'Red dust rises at the bottom of the well; white waves surge atop the high peak. A barren woman gives birth to a stone child; tortoise hair grows inch by inch. If you wish to learn bodhi, just look at this pattern.'" After a long silence, he said, "Do you know where it lands or not? If you do not know where it lands, watch out—bodhi is going right into the monks' hall! You have been standing long." Ascending the hall, [the Master said,] "The spring chill is biting, and last night brought good snow. Do you see it? Over the great earth the snow is vast and boundless; the spring wind remains as cold as before. Talking of Chan and talking of the Way is easy; becoming a Buddha and becoming a patriarch is hard. Take care!" Ascending the hall, [the Master said,] "The morning rooster crows announcing the dawn; after gruel, it is daybreak. The lantern is still drowsy, but the exposed pillar is wide awake." He added, "When wide awake, speak straight of being wide awake; when clear, speak straight of being clear. Tomorrow and the day after, do not mistake the servant for the master. Take care!" On account of an event he instructed the assembly: "When the sky clears, cover the roof; taking advantage of the dry weather, harvest the grain. Having paid the royal taxes early, drum the belly and sing the Ba folk songs." A monk asked, "Deshan delivered a blow of the stick as soon as one entered the gate, which was still drawing a pattern; Linji gave a shout as soon as one entered the gate, which could not avoid pressing the eyes to produce flowers. Departing from these two approaches, I wonder how Dongshan instructs people?" The Master said, "The sky has been clear for long without rain; recently clouds have surged." The monk said, "If another day someone asks about Dongshan's lineage tenets, how should this student recount them?" The Master said, "The garden vegetables are very parched; eaves water splashes on the spinach." Earlier, Vice Director of the Ministry of Justice Xu Gongshi went out to govern Nanchang. Passing Lianhuafeng, he heard Elder Xiang say, "Tiantong Cong is in Jiangxi; you should try to seek him out. This monk is an eye for humans and gods." When Master Xu arrived and heard of Cong's mountain-dwelling house style, he composed a poem and sent it to him, which read: "His words are entirely unobstructed, / High-treading in the footsteps of the patriarchs. / Sitting at night upon cloud-connected stones, / In spring planting rain-soaked pines. / The realm reflects the candles of the golden palace; / The mountain responds to the bell of the moonlit pavilion. / If someone asks the meaning of coming from the West, / The empty hall faces the distant peaks." One day the Master was unwell. Ascending the hall to take leave of the assembly, he recited a verse on the Dharmakāya: "In practicing Chan and learning the Way, do not be bewildered; / Inquire thoroughly into the Dharmakāya hidden in the Northern Dipper. / Now I am decrepit, emaciated, and extremely frail; / Meeting people, I lack the strength to confer with them. / Only the mattock knows my mind; / Planting pines, from time to time I ascend the adamantine [peak]." Having spoken, he passed away. After seven days, his cremation yielded five-colored relics (śarīra). A stupa was erected for him on the Adamantine Ridge.
2.17
Dharma heir of Chan Master Qin of Nantai.
2.18
Chan Master Faguang of Gaoyang in Ruzhou. A monk asked, "What are the thousand hands and eyes of Great Compassion?" The Master said, "Falling into a pit and dropping into a ditch."
2.19
Chan Master Jiecheng of Shishuang in Tanzhou. A monk asked, "An ancient said, 'Roll up the screen to face broad daylight; move the couch to face the green mountains.' What is rolling up the screen to face broad daylight?" The Master said, "Bring the water jar over." The monk asked, "What is moving the couch to face the green mountains?" The Master said, "Put it back in its former place." Ascending the hall, [the Master said,] "Outside of mind there are no phenomena; outside of phenomena there is no mind. Drifting boundlessly following conditions, ponder no more. As soon as you people step onto the stone steps, it would be best to go back. Why wait for a second ladle of dirty water to be splashed on you?"
2.20
Dharma heir of Chan Master Jing of Heishui.
2.21
Chan Master Yiqin of Heishui in Emei ascended the hall. A monk came forward and bowed. The Master said, "The great earth is shattered into a hundred pieces!" Then he stepped down from the seat.
2.22
Dharma heir of Chan Master Jie of Wuzu.
2.23
Chan Master Bao of Dongshan in Ruizhou was a native of Shouzhou. Born in a brothel, he had no family name. He was pure and prudent in conduct, and by nature longed for the Buddha vehicle. He underwent his training at Xiashi Temple, practicing ascetic dhūta austerities, eating coarse food, and wearing soiled clothes. He consulted Upādhyāya Jie, clarified the mind-ground, and acquired great fame. He frequently managed temple affairs in Wuzu's assembly. One day Jie was ill and ordered an attendant to obtain fresh ginger from the storage office to decoct medicine. The Master scolded him. The attendant reported this to Jie, who instructed him to take money to buy it back. Only then did the Master take the ginger and give it to him. Jie esteemed him in his heart. Later, wandering through the monasteries, he arrived at Dongshan, where Elder Cong resided and treated him with special respect. When Cong was dying, his last words instructed that Bao should succeed to his seat. It happened that the commandery prefect also wrote a letter to Jie, requesting him to recommend someone he knew to serve as abbot. Jie said, 'The fellow who sold the ginger can hold the post.' Thereupon he opened the Dharma hall at Dongshan. A monk asked, "What is the Buddha?" The Master said, "The head resembles it." Or he said, "Long waist, short legs." The monk asked, "Whose song does the Master sing? Whose lineage style do you inherit?" The Master said, "The words are still in my ears." The monk said, "If so, you are a true son of Wuzu and a descendant of Yunmen." The Master said, "Galloping five hundred [li] a day." He instructed the assembly: "When everything is tranquil like this with winds calm and waves still, where does it come from? Suddenly encountering vast billowing waves and white billows surging to heaven, at such a time it is difficult even to find a sailor. Among the assembly, is there anyone who can take the helm or not?" The assembly had no answer. The Master said, "The whole boat of people has been ruined!" He moved to reside at Guizong. One day, leaning on his staff at the mountain gate, he saw attendants clearing the path ahead and asked, "What official is this?" An officer said, "The county sheriff orders you to clear the road." The Master stood on the left of the road to make way. The sheriff's horse knelt and would not proceed. The Master said, "This beast actually recognizes people." The sheriff, realizing it was the Master, made prostrations, and the horse then went forward. Later he moved again to Yunju. One night the mountain spirit carried the Master in a sedan chair around the monastery. The Master scolded, "Carry it up to the Abbot's Room!" The spirit carried it straight up to the Abbot's Room. The Master was meticulous and strict in upholding the monastic precepts. When he first went on his itinerant pilgrimage, he stayed at an inn. One night he was cornered by a courtesan who shared his bed. The Master sat in meditation until dawn. The courtesan demanded money for the lodging. The Master gave it to her, walked out the door, burned his own quilt, and departed. The courtesan told the old madam the truth, whereupon they invited him back, offered a vegetarian meal, and made prostrations in gratitude, calling him a true son of the Buddha. However, he had a fondness for fame and cared about appearances. When he first attained the Dharma from Upādhyāya Jie, Jie in his later years abandoned his assembly and visited him. Because Jie's conduct aroused suspicions among people, the Master did not pay him respects. Ascending the hall, he spoke a verse mocking him: 'Alas, seeing the world's deceptions, / Pure in speech yet foul in conduct are many. / Were it not for Old Yama, / Who could do anything about you?' Jie then went to Dayu. One day, leaning on his staff in front of the monks' hall, he passed away while chatting and laughing. Although the Master had great renown in the monasteries, they also looked down on him for this. The Master once composed a portrait eulogy for Patriarch Bodhidharma, which was greatly praised and recited in the monasteries. The preface read: 'The depiction of the Master's true image cannot be grasped in the three realms. If you intend to arrange it, know that you are greatly mistaken. Vainly laboring to point it out, where could you grope for it? If you wish to know the Master's true form, heaven and earth are vast and open.' The eulogy read: 'The Master's form: rare in the world! / The Master's brows: battle clouds hanging down! / The Master's eyes: lightning flashing! / The Master's nose: towering like Mount Sumeru! / The Master's mouth lacks teeth: whose fault is it? / Planning to cross the flowing sands: why not recognize your own error? / You and I are both great men: to whom did you transmit the Dharma? / Staying further at Shaolin: embarrassed, you returned to the West after all! / If you meet a patch-robed monk: he will give you a sound thrashing! / Although it is like this: if you do not understand, do not poke with needles and awls!'"}, public: true}, {
2.24
Chan Master Huaicheng of Letan in Hongzhou. A monk asked, "What is the Buddha?" The Master said, "Not adding a dot of punctuation to the text." [The monk] asked, "What kind of person is one who does not keep company with the ten thousand phenomena?" The Master said, "Bodhisattva Avalokiteśvara." [The monk] asked, "What is the great meaning of the Buddhadharma?" The Master said, "Mañjuśrī is of himself Mañjuśrī; liberation is of itself liberation."
2.25
Chan Master Siguang of Beita in Fuzhou. A monk asked, "What is the adaptable activity of a patch-robed monk?" The Master said, "Surging up in the east and sinking down in the west." The monk said, "What about after being adaptable?" The Master said, "The soil is rich, the eggplants are tender." The monk said, "What is the Buddha?" The Master said, "The left hand writes right-hand characters." The monk said, "I do not understand." The Master said, "Twisting the head and snapping the legs."
2.26
Chan Master Zhiyong of Mount Yungai in Tanzhou. A monk asked, "The mist rolls away from Leopard Cliff, and clouds open on the bird's path. The ocean-like assembly has all arrived; we pray for the tide's sound to resonate." The Master said, "The moon reflects white upon a thousand rivers." The monk said, "In that case, the Five Cloud Peaks are elegant, and the wind at the Three Wells is clear." The Master said, "Clouds open, and ten thousand miles are fresh." The monk asked, "What is the environment of Yungai?" The Master said, "At the mountain's corner, golden screens are drawn; the trailing pines hang like jade curtains." The monk said, "Who is the person within the environment?" The Master said, "Few are the young lords in purple robes; many are the rustic monks with snowy heads." The monk asked, "What is the meaning of the Patriarch's coming from the West?" The Master said, "The stele of the ancient temple is hard to read." The monk said, "I have not yet understood what the meaning is." The Master said, "Those who read it all knit their brows." The monk asked, "What is the upādhyāya's house style?" The Master said, "It screens the heavens and covers the earth." The monk said, "If a guest suddenly arrives, how do you treat him?" The Master said, "What Zhaozhou said." The Master looked around at the great assembly, gave a shout, and said, "Chan worthies, is it not that host and guest are distinct? Is it not illuminating first and functioning afterward? Is it not simultaneous illumination and function? If you understand it in such ways, the Linji lineage style will sink flat into the bitter ocean. Since you do not understand it in such ways, how will you deliberate on it?" After a long pause, he gave a shout and struck the rope-chair once. He also ascended the hall and said, "Yesterday three, today four. Barring the vital ford, releasing and gathering. Innumerable Chan followers are uniquely at a loss." He gave a shout.
2.27
Chan Master Huiyong of Cuifeng in Suzhou. A monk asked, "Whose tune does the Master sing? Whose house style do you inherit?" The Master said, "The gate opens upon the Eastern Ridge." The monk said, "In that case, you are the true son of the Fifth Patriarch." The Master said, "An ape howls on an old pine branch."
2.28
Chan Master Duan of Mount Sizhu in Qizhou. In his "Ode on the Dharmakāya," he wrote: / A rush pith pierced the stone man's foot; / In utmost haste they went to invite Doctor Zhou. / Meeting Layman Pang on the road, they inquired of each other: / In the sixth month, the hot sun dried and scorched it away.
2.29
Chan Master Xiu of Mount Wuzu in Qizhou. A monk asked, "'There being no dharma that can be spoken is called speaking the Dharma.' If there is a dharma that can be spoken, what then would one speak?" The Master said, "The frost is cold and the earth is frozen." The monk said, "Subhūti did not know how to sit within the rock, / Inviting heavenly flowers to shake the earth as they came." The Master said, "The sun comes out and the ice melts." The monk hesitated. The Master said, "Why do you not advance a word?" The monk was speechless. The Master said, "A cart does not push crosswise; reason is not decided crookedly."
2.30
Chan Master Huaiqing of Jingde on Mount Tiantong in Mingzhou. A monk asked, "What is the meaning of the Patriarch's coming from the West?" The Master said, "No sand enters the eye." The monk said, "How should I comprehend it?" The Master said, "No water enters the ear." The monk said, "In that case, I make my prostration." The Master said, "The eastern house lights a lamp; the western house sits in the dark." He ascended the hall and said, "The West Lake faintly reveals the mountain peak's elegance; / The pavilions are uneven as if painted in a picture. / Practitioners of Chan dwell together in the Jetavana; / Do not let an entire lifetime pass in vain." He then stepped down from the seat.
2.31
Chan Master Bian of Baima in Xiangzhou. A monk asked, "What is the Buddha?" The Master said, "When water comes, the river rises." The monk said, "What is the Dharma?" The Master said, "When wind comes, the trees stir."
2.32
Chan Master Zhiyu of Shuinan in Suizhou ascended the hall and said, "If you wish to know the path of liberation, / You have come to participate somewhat early today. / I only reflect that the traveling on the road is difficult; / The water is deep and the fish are not few. / Participate!" He also said, "If you wish to know the path of liberation, / The cock crows and it is already dawn. / The cypress tree in Zhaozhou's courtyard / Knocks down the dates of Qingzhou." He gave a shout.
2.33
Chan Master Tong of Haihui in Shuzhou. A monk asked, "What is the upādhyāya's single phrase for guiding people?" The Master said, "Clear light fills the eyes." The monk said, "I do not understand." The Master said, "Daubed with ashes and smeared with dirt." The monk asked, "What is the great meaning of the Buddha Dharma?" The Master said, "The persimmon bucket covers the coir hat." The monk said, "I do not comprehend." The Master said, "When traveling, wear it atop your head; when sitting, hang it high on the rack."
2.34
Chan Master Zixiang of Yitai in Qizhou. A monk asked, "What is the environment of Yitai?" The Master said, "Things dropped on the road are not picked up." The monk said, "Who is the person within the environment?" The Master said, "Jie's dog barks at Yao." The monk asked, "What is the meaning of the Patriarch's coming from the West?" The Master said, "How many people have you asked before?" The monk said, "Right now I am asking the upādhyāya." The Master said, "For now, do not be deceitful."
2.35
Chan Master Huaichu of Shiwang in Qizhou. A monk asked, "What is the Buddha?" The Master said, "Lofty and imposing." The monk asked, "What is the phrase that penetrates the Dharmakāya?" The Master said, "Many people have asked that." The monk said, "What is the meaning?" The Master said, "Svāhā in a quiet place."
2.36
Chan Master Daohai of Dinghui in Suzhou. A monk asked, "The Buddhas' appearing in the world has already involved redundant words. What is the exact meaning?" The Master said, "When meeting someone, you must not cite it mistakenly." The monk said, "Without experiencing an affair, one does not grow in wisdom." The Master said, "Blaming it is beyond reach."
2.37
Chan Master Wenji of Lingfeng on Mount Yandang in Wenzhou. A monk asked, "Patriarch to patriarch, they hand down the patriarch's seal. Now that the Master has attained the Dharma, whose heir are you?" The Master said, "A hornless iron ox sleeps at Shaoshi; / The child born to a barren woman grows old at Huangmei." The monk said, "In that case, you are a descendant of Shaoyang and the true son of Zu Peak." The Master said, "Yandang and Tiantai." The monk said, "The Patriarch's meaning has already been indicated by the Master. What about a phrase for guiding people?" The Master said, "A twofold gong'an." The monk asked, "In the past on Gṛdhrakūṭa half the seat was shared, / Yet opposite him, Mahākāśyapa was muddled. / Today this gathering is also like that; / Is there yet a complete phrase?" The Master said, "One step, two steps." The monk said, "The golden wind blows down falling leaves; jade dew drips on green pines." The Master said, "Tie your straw sandals tightly." The monk said, "Each time it is brought up, each time it is fresh." The Master then hit him.
2.38
Chan Master Miaoyuan of Dongshan in Ruizhou. A monk asked, "What is the Buddha?" The Master said, "The heads resemble each other."
2.39
Chan Master Shuzhi of Baoyan in Yuezhou. A monk asked, "What is the Buddha?" The Master said, "Clay body and wooden bones." The monk said, "What is the meaning?" The Master said, "Adorned in five-colored gold." The monk said, "In that case, I make obeisance and depart." The Master said, "A Tiantai staff of zhili wood."
2.40
Dharma Heirs of Chan Master Shan of Fuchang
2.41
Chan Master Qiyue of Shangfang in Anji Prefecture. A monk asked, "What is bodhi?" The Master said, "Bricks and tiles." The monk said, "What is the meaning?" The Master said, "Suffering." He ascended the hall: "Gradually gathering yellow leaves to burn blue smoke, / On a bamboo couch, fully clothed, I sleep at midnight. / After gruel, dismissing the evening assembly with three beats of the drum; / Who can talk further of the Patriarch Chan?" He then stepped down from the seat.
2.42
Chan Master Changtan of Yuwang in Mingzhou. A monk asked, "What is being within being?" The Master said, "Atop the Golden River Peak." The monk said, "What is non-being within non-being?" The Master said, "In front of the Prajñā Hall." He ascended the hall: "A thousand flowers contend in blooming, and a hundred birds sing of spring—this is the phrase pointing upward. The Buddhas appear in the world, and kalyāṇamitras give rise to compassion—this is the phrase pointing downward. What is the phrase that does not involve either path? If you recognize it, breath issues from the crown of your head. If you do not recognize it, an earthen ox plows a stone field." He struck the Chan couch and stepped down from the seat.
2.43
Chan Master Ruixin of Jinshan in Runzhou. A monk asked, "'I have great affliction because I have a body.' Before my father and mother had given birth [to me], where was this body?" The Master said, "For vast eons there has been no place; / If one discusses arising and ceasing, all becomes error." The monk said, "In that case, it pervades the ten directions, and the mind is not in any place." The Master said, "Shaking a post in the mud." He ascended the hall: "What is valued in the mundane world is the jade of He and the pearl of Marquis Sui; Jinshan calls them donkey dung and horse manure. What is valued beyond the mundane world is tathatā, liberation, bodhi, and nirvāṇa; Jinshan calls them boiling flatulence and clattering bowls. Now tell me, where do such words land? It certainly is not that the mind of grasping and rejecting is heavy or that one believes in inverted views. Do you all want to understand? A fierce tiger does not look back at meat upon a table; how could a great furnace forge an awl inside a bag?"
2.44
Chan Master Xun of Fuchang in Jiangling. A monk asked, "What is the Buddha?" The Master said, "Flowers blossom, warm at Jingu; willows brush the jade steps with fragrance." The monk said, "In that case, the spring decree having been enacted, all directions enjoy peace on the Way." The Master said, "Opening the mouth, one loses the complete substance; without words, half the body is revealed."
2.45
Dharma Heirs of Chan Master Xin of Qianming
2.46
Chan Master Yisu of Yaoshan in Lizhou. A monk asked, "What was it like before the Buddha appeared in the world?" The Master said, "A big tree inside big bark." The monk said, "What about after he appeared in the world?" The Master said, "A small tree wrapped in small bark." The monk asked, "What is the Immovable Honored One?" The Master said, "The Four Heavenly Kings cannot lift him."
2.47
Chan Master Chuibai of Xichan in Pi County, Yizhou. A monk asked, "The incense smoke has just arisen, and the great assembly gathers like clouds. Please, Master, indicate the Patriarch's meaning from the West." The Master said, "The light of the mind shines upon itself." The monk said, "In that case, having personally received a single phrase from the Master, it will forever guard the city of Pi, handed down for ten thousand ages." The Master said, "Everyone has their share."
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- 續傳燈錄 — Classical Chinese